The weekend before last month's NBA draft, pretty much everybody in the Warriors' front office -- plus new assistant coach Kenny Atkinson -- flew to Miami to see Jonathan Kuminga up close and personal.
Golden State put him through a workout, took measurements and went to a long dinner with the Congo native.
"I didn’t know they were going to pick me until they came down to see me,” Kuminga told the Bay Area News Group's Wes Goldberg. “They didn’t tell me, but I had a feeling that if I fell past five that they were going to take me.
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"I’m not going to go past seven.”
Sure enough, the Warriors snagged Kuminga with the No. 7 overall pick after the Orlando Magic picked Jalen Suggs at No. 5 and the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Josh Giddey at No. 6.
It sounds like the Dubs sending a large contingent on a cross-country flight has left an impression on the 19-year-old forward.
“That’s when I had a lot of respect for Golden State,” Kuminga told Goldberg. “Because no team is going to fly six, seven hours just to come see me.
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"That’s when I was like, ‘I have a chance to go to Golden State.’”
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Kuminga through two Summer League games is averaging 17.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.0 blocks, while shooting 43.3 percent overall (13-for-30).
It's extremely early, but Kuminga has been very impressive.
"Going to Golden State -- I was really happy," he said. "It's the best situation for me."
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